


Degrees of Separation

by Guardian_of_Hope



Category: Leverage, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive
Genre: Christmas present, Connections, Gen, Humor, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-05 02:20:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1801843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a Samurai"- Nate Ford (Leverage Season 3 Episode 14- The Ho, Ho, Ho Job)</p><p> </p><p>Nate calls in a favor for Elliot's Christmas gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1st Degree- Nate to Will

**Author's Note:**

> This is nominally a series of phone conversations surrounding Elliot's Christmas gift. I heard Nate say he "knew a guy" etc and I just... had this idea. There is no romance, although I mention two couples. Enjoy!

Nate cleared his throat as the phone rang.  Moments later a supercilious voice was saying, "Hartford Residence, whom may I say is calling?"

"My name is Nathan Ford," Nate said, "and I would like to leave a message for Will Aston."

What is the message, Mister Ford?"

"Tell him that I found the thief from the Jewelry Museum in Pforzheim," Nate replied, "please contact me through the usual channel."

"I will tell him," the voice said.

"Thank you, and have a good day," Nate said.

“You as well, sir," the voice said and hung up.

Nate put the phone down and smiled at Sophie, "That will get him."

"What do you mean?"  Sophie asked.

"Will Aston worked for IYS, or rather for me, on an insurance case at the museum.  We were looking into the security there for a client who wanted to have a showcase of his jewelry collection.  Will and I cleared the security there, the client brought in their jewelry, and it was stolen two days later.  Will had to resign from IYS, but in doing so, he avoided criminal charges.  He was freelancing for a year or so before Mister Hartford called him up to be the black ranger."  Nate said.

"Why would Andrew Hartford pick a disgraced insurance investigator to be the black ranger?”  Sophie asked.

“Andrew asked me for opinions,” Nate said, “I knew that Will was clean, and I thought he’d do well on a team like that, so I recommended him.”

“Does Will know?”  Sophie asked.

“He does,” Nate said with a slight smile.

The phone rang and Nate picked it up, “Nathan Ford,” he said.

“If I were to ask you were that thief was right now, could you tell me?”  Will Aston asked.

“She’s two stories below me in a bar,” Nate replied, “and no, I am not going to introduce you.  It’s good to hear from you Will.”

“You too, Nate.  I heard you left IYS?”

“I did,” Nate said, “listen, you know how you owe me a favor without limit?”

“Possibly,” Will said warily.

“I’m looking for a Christmas gift for a friend,” Nate said, “I was hoping you had some of your old contacts and could help.”

“What kind of gift?”  Will asked.

“Something for a fighter who cooks and has a great deal of respect for warrior societies, a man with a dangerous reputation and a great deal of personal honor.”  Nate said.  “You’ve probably heard of him, Elliot Spencer.”

“I heard he worked for you,” Will said.

“About the same as you work for Mack Hartford, I would imagine,” Nate replied.

Will was silent for a moment, then laughed softly, “I don’t suppose he’s an artist, is he?”

“Well, he’s an excellent chef,” Nate said after a moment.

Will chuckled.  “I think I can help you find something, just let me make a few phone calls.  Hey, and tell Parker that I said thanks.  If she hadn’t of robbed the museum, I would never have made it to where I am today.”

“I’ll pass on the message,” Nate said.

“Great, thanks Ford.  I’ll call you soon.”

“Good bye, Will,” Nate replied.  “I’ll be waiting for your call.”  He hung up, wondering what was so funny.


	2. 2nd Degree: Will to Adam

“Sloan-Park Residence, this is Tony.”

Will smiled, “Tony, my name is Will, is Adam available.”

“Yes sir,” Tony said, “give me just a moment.”  There was a rustling sound, and then Tony shouted, “Dad!  Telephone!”

Will wondered if there would be a point to telling Tony that covering the receiver with his hand didn’t help if he was holding it close to his mouth.

“This is Adam,” Adam said.

“Adam, it’s Will,” Will said.

“Hey,” Adam said, “hold on a moment.  Antonio Garcia, if you do not get off the other line, you will be babysitting not only my children, but the K-Scotts as well for the rest of the month.”

There was a clatter, some rustling noises and then a firm click.

Will chuckled, “How’s it going with him?”

“It’s going fine for the most part,” Adam said.  “Now that he’s pretty much living at the Academy even during the holidays for extra training, he’s settled down a lot.”

“That’s good,” Will replied.  He glanced around, looking to see if any of his teammates had showed up.

“How are you and Ronny doing?”  Adam asked.

“Good,” Will said, “she hasn’t been feeling well lately, but we’re doing good.”

“Tell her I hope she feels better,” Adam said.

“I’ll tell her you said so,” Will said.  “Listen, Adam, I called for a reason.”  He bit his lip, “I need a favor for a friend.”

“What kind of favor?  Are you all right?”  Adam asked.

“I’m fine,” Will said, “he needs a Christmas gift and he thought my old contacts could help.  The thing is, Ford’s the guy who recommended me to Mister Hartford.  I owe him a _lot_ and I really want to come through for him.”

“What kind of gift are you looking for?”  Adam said after a moment.

“Well, Nathan Ford has a sort of modern day Robin Hood thing going,”  Will said, “he recruited a team of… specialists and they help people who get scammed, or threatened, or who need help and the law can’t or won’t help them for whatever reason.  One of his guys is a man named Elliot Spencer.  What rumor’s I’ve ever heard mark Elliot as a dangerous man, but once he hooked up with Nate everything I’ve heard from my contacts says that this man could have been one of us.”

“You mean a Ranger?”  Adam asked.

“No,” Will said, “I mean a _Black_ Ranger.  I’ve done some research since Nate called and asked, and I’m telling you, Elliot Spencer could have been ours if things had shook out a little differently once upon a time.”

“Hey, I didn’t say I wouldn’t help,” Adam said.  “I just need to know what you had in mind.”

“Elliot has a great deal of respect and admiration for warrior cultures,”  Will said, “I was wondering if you could get me in touch with that Green Samurai Ranger, Tori’s teammate.”

“You mean Cam?”  Adam said, “I could, but why didn’t you ask Tori?”

Will hesitated and closed his eyes, “Because…  I…”

“You figured that I’d be more likely to help because I’m also a Black Ranger,” Adam said, sounding amused.  “You probably also thought I’d intercede with Cam after hearing all of Tori’s stories about him.”

“Adam,” Will said.

“You’re right,” Adam said.  “I’ll chat with Cam, maybe he can recommend something.  I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

“Thanks,” Will said.  “I owe you one.”

“It doesn’t really work that way Will,” Adam said gently.  “You asked, and I can help.  You don’t owe me anything.”

“Okay,” Will said, “I have to go though.  I’ll wait for you to call.”  As he hung up, Will reflected that he still owed Adam from the Thrax Debacle, even if he didn’t think Adam would ever collect.


	3. 3rd Degree: Adam to Cam

Adam smiled as he watched Tony tackle-hug Brett Hilliard from behind.  They wrestled for a moment, laughing loudly and attracting attention from the other students.  “That boy has way too much energy.”

Adam turned and smiled, “Hey Cam.  It’s good to see you again.”

Cam nodded and pushed his glasses up, “Hello Adam.  Shane said you were looking for me?”

Adam nodded, “Will Aston is looking for a favor and I said I’d ask.”

Cam crossed his arms for a moment, “Come down to Ninja Ops and tell me about it.”

“After you,” Adam said.  He waved when Tony looked his way, then followed Cam down to the Wind Rangers’ old base.

Shane was standing in the library, reading a book.  “Shouldn’t you be out helping with the students?”  Cam asked as they came in.

“I’m helping,” Shane replied, “I’m avoiding trouble.”

“Tony’s a good kid,” Adam said.

“Not Tony,” Shane said, “new kid, name of Gerry.  He’s picking a fight with everyone, and Sensei sent me to cool down.”  He closed the book, “What’s going on?”

“I had a question for Cam,” Adam said.

“Ask away,” Cam said.

“Will Aston owes a man a debt he can never repay,” Adam said, “because the man recommended him to Andrew for a Ranger position.  That man called Will looking for help in finding a Christmas gift.  Will called me for help.”

“What kind of gift?”  Cam asked.

“Something for a fighter,” Adam said, “a man who has the personality of a black ranger without the morpher.  According to Will, and his friend, the man in question has a great deal of respect for warrior cultures.  We were hoping you could recommend a weapon or something for him, perhaps something Samurai related.”

Cam studied Adam for a long moment then turned to his computer, “So, who is this person?”

“Elliot Spencer,” Adam said, “he’s got a reputation, but he’s been turning it around over the past few years.  You won’t find much, Tony and I went looking and Justin drove into Boston to take a look at him.  He was impressed by the guy, apparently.”

Cam looked at Adam then tilted his head slightly.  “I want to meet Will’s friend before I agree to this.”

“Let me call Will,” Adam said, pulling out his phone.

“No need for that,” Cam said as the sound of a ringing phone filled the air.

“Aston,” Will said.

“Will, it’s Adam Park,” Adam said.

“Hey Adam, how’s it going?”  Will asked.

“I’m standing here with Cam, and he has a request.”  Adam said.

“I want to meet your friend,” Cam said.

“Do you mean meet like that Justin guy?  Because I don’t think they’ll appreciate that again.”  Will said.

“Justin didn’t do anything,” Adam said, “he bought a drink in a bar and observed.”

“They noticed him,” Will replied.  “Thankfully, Nate thought to ask me about it when I called, and I recognized Justin from the database.”

“There’s a reason to meet him,” Adam said, “I have to apologize.”

Will sighed.  “Hold on.”

There was a beep and the line went silent.  Adam shook his head slightly.  “What?”  Shane asked.

“Justin is not as stealthy as he thought he was.  He swore he wasn’t noticed by them.”  Adam grinned, “I’ll have to tell him, hopefully it will make him laugh.”

“He’s doing all right, though, right?”  Shane asked.

“Yeah,” Adam said.  “I haven’t actually met his friends, but Rocky said Zhane said he was doing a lot better.  He’s almost completely turned himself around from what happened.”

There was a beep, “Adam, Cam, are you there?”  Will asked.

“We’re still here,” Adam replied.

“Nate said he and Sophie will be happy to meet with us.  Apparently they have to fly out to LA in two days for a client and can make time in their schedule.”  Will said.

“Client?”  Shane said.

“Is that Shane?  Hey,” Will said, “and yes, client.  I didn’t ask for details, it’s a thing in this line of work.”

“This line of work,” Shane repeated.

“You are not a parrot Shane,” Adam said quietly.  “They’ll be out here in a few days you said?”

“In two days,” Will said.  “I’m going to be in LA myself for an Overdrive thing, we’re leaving in the morning.  I’ll call you to set things up, okay?”

Adam glanced at Cam who nodded, “I’ve got nothing going right now,” Cam said, “I’m between projects and student intake will be done today.”

“I’ve got a few days off, since Paul and Tony were coming here to the Academy.  My classes are already covered.”  Adam said, “I’d like to meet Nathan Ford.”

“All right,” Will said.  “I’ll be in touch.  Thank you, both of you.”

“Bye Will,” Adam said just before a dial tone filled the room.

Cam hit a button and silence fell.

Adam regarded Cam for a long moment, “What are you thinking, Cam?”

Cam smiled at Adam, “I’m thinking that I have the perfect thing if Will’s right.  I’ll talk to my father and see how things go on Thursday.”

“Until then,” Adam said with a smile.  He pointed at Shane, “It’s Paul’s first semester, if anything happens to him, I will rip your spine out through your throat.”

Shane swallowed, “I’ll keep an eye on him Adam.”

Adam didn’t let his smile faded until he was heading back out to where the students where.  He had sons to hug and a long drive ahead of him.


	4. The First Meeting

They met in a small café.  Nate wasn’t sure why Will’s friends wanted the meet, but Will had said it was a requirement of helping them get the gift.  He arrived early with Sophie, trying to hide a yawn as they took a seat at a table.  Nate checked the café, noting an Asian man on a laptop sitting towards the back.  The man barely glanced up as the door’s bells rang cheerfully.

“We’re early,” Sophie said.

Nate smiled, “Do you want to order something other than coffee?”

“Breakfast would be nice,” Sophie said as a server came by.  “I’ll have scrambled egg whites, turkey bacon and an English muffin with coffee.”

“All right,” the server said with a smile, “and for you sir?”

“I’ll have the trucker’s breakfast,” Nate said, “and a coffee.”

“I’ll have that right out for you,” the server said and hurried away.

“Nate, are you sure this is a good idea?”  Sophie asked, “I mean what if they want something from us that we can’t afford.”

“I don’t think Will would do that,” Nate said.  “He was a good man at IYS, and he’s a Ranger now.”

The door jingled and Nate turned to watch as two men stepped inside.  The first was Will Aston, and with him was a stocky man with short, black hair, wearing black pants and a dark green button down.  Nate noticed the man looked worried, but he wasn’t focused on the room the way will was.

“Nathan Ford,” Will said as he approached.

“William Aston,” Nate replied as he stood and shook Will’s hand.

“You can call me Will,” Will said, “this is Adam Park, one of my friends.”

Adam shook Nate’s hand with a tight smile.  “I should apologize for Justin.  I wanted to make sure we weren’t getting duped.”

“It’s all right,” Nate said, “I mean, there for a moment, I thought Eliot would have gotten involved, but Justin left on his own.”

Adam nodded, “Justin probably thought he was being subtle.”  He tilted his head a little, “It’s not his strong point.”

Nate had no doubt that if this man had wanted it, they would never have noticed him.

“Cam was supposed meet us here,” Will said.

Adam glanced over at Will, “You’ve never met Cam in person, have you?”

“No,” Will said, “just stories.”

Adam smiled slowly, “We’ll just wait until he gets here then, shall we.”  He turned slightly, “I’m Adam Park.”

“Sophie Devereaux,” Sophie said, “I’m sure Nate would have remembered me in a moment.”

“Right,” Nate said, “Will, this is Ms. Sophie Devereaux.”

Will nodded, “It’s nice to finally meet you.  I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”

“Really?”  Sophie asked.

Nate shook his head slightly, “Will,” he murmured.

“Yes, you’re in IYS’s Book of Thieves,” Will said.  “The list of people who are considered major players and are only to be pursued by senior IYS agents.”

“Really,” Sophie said, giving Nate a look, “I’ve never heard of the Book of Thieves before.”

“That’s… surprising,” Will said, “the Book was originally put together by a pair of senior agents.  The version I heard said it started while they were drunk.”

“Do I even want to know who wrote it?”  Sophie asked with another look at Nate.  It was the sort of look that suggested that she already knew the answer, and he was going to pay for it.

“Nate wrote it with, uh, Jim Sterling?”  Will glanced at Nate uncertainly.

“First of all, we were not drunk,” Nate said, “and it started as a way to keep track of who stole what.  Sterling brought in the other Senior Agents and it kind of spiraled out of control.  It’s not an official book either way.”

“Would you gentlemen care for something to eat?”  The server asked suddenly.

“Just coffee,” Adam said, “I’m not ready to order food just yet.”

“Can I get some chocolate milk?”  Will asked, “I’ll order something to eat when our other guest gets here.”

“Not a problem, I’ll be right back,” the server said.

Adam slid into the seat across from Nate.  “Mister Ford, why did you decide to ask Will for help?”

“Well,” Nate said, “first of all, call me Nate.  Second of all, Sophie vetoed almost anything I could have legally obtained.”

“It was all boring,” Sophie said, “no sense of imagination at _all._   Eliot deserves something with more history to it than just a knife.”

“I thought the gourmet cooking knives would be useful to him,” Nate said, “Considering what happened to his last set.”

“What happened?”  Will asked.

“He might have used them to deal with a group of thugs that tried to kill him,” Sophie said, “but he won’t admit it.”

“He just moped for weeks and complained about my knives instead,” Nate muttered into his coffee cup.

“So you thought you’d ask Will here to track down something with more meaning to it,” Adam said with a nod.

“Yes,” Sophie said, “we don’t have the four months to put into acquiring something on our own, or we would have simply done that.  If we had the time, we would have done it.  It’s just that our clients take priority over a single Christmas gift.”

Adam nodded his thanks as the server appeared with his coffee and Will’s milk.  “Do either of you wish to order?”

“No thank you,” Adam said with a smile.  “I’m not hungry yet.”

“No,” Will said, “I don’t think I will.  Thanks for the milk though.”

“You’re both welcome,” the server replied.

Adam watched the server leave, and then turned to Nate and Sophie.  “Maybe next year you can arrange for me to meet with Eliot in person,” he said, “but I feel better about helping Will help you.”  A phone rang and Adam straightened up, “That’s my wife, excuse me.”  He stood up and walked away with his phone to his ear.

“Nate,” Will said, “are you actually happy now?”

“Yes,” Nate said, “I’m very happy.  Why?”

Will toyed with his glass, “You helped me get an incredible opportunity, Nate.  I would never have become a Ranger if you hadn’t of recommended me to Hartford.  I owe you a debt that I will never feel that I’ve paid off.  If you need my help for anything, and I do mean anything, do not hesitate to call me, okay?  I don’t care if I’m bailing you out of jail or helping to rob the President blind, just call me and I’ll be there.”

Nate eyed the man in front of him, wondering what to say to that.

“Look,” Adam said, “I have to get back to Angel Grove.  Apparently, my daughter decided to kickoff Intergalactic Prank Week and caused a lot of trouble at the school.  My wife is demanding I do damage control.  Thank you for meeting me, but I have to go.  I’ll tell Cam I think this is a good thing.”

“Thank you,” Nate said.

“Bye Adam,” Will called as Adam left the café.  Then he stopped and stared at Nate and Sophie.  “Was that me?”  He asked, sounding like he was a chipmunk.  He stared at his half-empty glass of chocolate milk, and then looked over his shoulder, “He said Intergalactic Prank Week, didn’t he?”

“Excuse me.”  An older woman approached the table, “But the man who was serving you asked me to give you this,” she handed Nate a long wooden box.  “He asked me to say that ‘A meeting with Mister Spencer in the future would be appreciated,’ and also to say, ‘Happy Intergalactic Prank Week from Cam Watanabe.’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine that there was an exchange of money involved in that particular prank. I love chapters that lead to me cackling madly.


	5. Party Time (No Degrees)

Nate clapped his hands together, “All right.  I’ll call about our next client.”  He hesitated, “Although, Eliot, do you mind staying back for a moment?  Parker, Hardison, you can stay if you want or go.”

He didn’t even have to watch the younger couple to see that they’d clearly decided to stay.

“What’s up Nate?”  Eliot asked.

“Do you remember that samurai sword we got you for Christmas last year?”  Sophie asked.

“What about it?”  Eliot said looking between the two of them.

“The people helped us to get it, they’ve asked about meeting you,” Nate said.  “I used a contact from the old days, a man named Will Aston.”

“What a minute,” Hardison said, “Will Aston, you mean _the_ Will Aston, the _Power Ranger?”_

“Yes,” Nate said after a moment.  “I’m not entirely sure his contacts weren’t Rangers, but they’d like to meet you.  One of them, Adam, said that they would be in Portland in a few days for something and they are all interested in arranging that meeting.”

“You know a Power Ranger?”  Hardison said.

“I got him the job,” Nate replied.  “Well, Eliot.  You have the option to say no, of course.”

Eliot stared at him for a minute, “Fine,” he said finally, “I’ll meet your friends.”  He turned and slammed his way out of the office.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Maybe he should have thought more about it before agreeing to meet Nate’s friends, Eliot thought as he watched the security cameras.  Five men, five _very dangerous men_ , one of whom Eliot was positive was CIA, were in the pub talking quietly.  As he watched, Nate approached and shook hands around the circle, and there was definitely two people being introduced, one of whom brought about a lot of laughter.

“Is that them?”  Hardison asked.

“Either that, or a camera,” Eliot said, crossing his arms.

“Then let’s see who our guests are,” Hardison replied.  White boxes appeared around each face, and the edges of the image switched over to facial recognition programs.  One of them stopped almost instantly, “That’s Will Aston, Overdrive Back Ranger and former security specialist.  Next to him, the Korean guy is Adam Park.  He runs a dojo in Angel Grove, married for eight years, has three born kids and an adopted kid named Antonio who just might possibly be a Power Ranger himself.  The Black guy is Zack Taylor, CIA liaison to Lightspeed Rescue.  Last is Cameron Watanabe, two doctorates, works contractually with the government.  What an interesting group.”

“And they’re headed back here,” Eliot said, turning to the door.

Hardison typed for a few minutes longer, and then turned, raising his hands up, as the office door opened.  “Here’s part of the team,” Nate said.  “Sophie’s arranging for drinks and food with the kitchen and Parker’s around here somewhere.”  Eliot scratched his ear and discretely pointed to the ceiling, making Nate nod slightly.  “This is Alec Hardison, our hacker and this is Eliot Spencer.”

“Hi,” Hardison said softly.  Eliot quietly bet himself that Hardison was staring at Will in that awed way the hacker had never quite managed to overcome.

“Hardison, Eliot, this is Will Aston, Zack Taylor, Adam Park, and Cam Watanabe.  Eliot, Cam here is the samurai I mentioned.”

Eliot nodded, distracted by Zack Taylor, who stalked towards him with a very intense expression.  Eliot held his arms at his side, loose and ready to respond to whatever Taylor did.  The man stared into his face for a moment before circling him, still staring.  He didn’t even flinch when Parker dropped from the ceiling and followed him.  Then Taylor was back face to face with him, still frowning.

There was an awkward cough.

Taylor lunged forward, wrapping Eliot in a hug so tight that Eliot was hard pressed not to wheeze.  “Welcome to the family, little brother,” Taylor whispered in his ear before letting go, backing up out of Eliot’s reach with a huge smile.  “I like you,” he announced.  “I’m sorry I didn’t get to know you sooner.”

Eliot glanced over Taylor’s shoulder to the other three men.  Adam had a smirk on his face, Will looked worried, and Cam just scowled right back at them.  “Okay,” Eliot said finally.

“Now, I’m going to let Cam do his samurai thing because that’s a thing he does.  I want to have a word with you, Mister Ford.”  Taylor said, he turned away and slung his arm over Nate’s shoulders, “Because Will has been telling me what you do and I think it’s awesome.”

Eliot tried to keep track of the man, but Watanabe had indeed approached him.  “I’m Cam,” he said, “You’re lucky he likes you.”

“What?”  Eliot asked.

“Zack,” Watanabe said, “you’re lucky he likes you.  Me, on the other hand, I’m curious.  Why a samurai sword?”

“What?”  Eliot asked, he really wasn’t sure what was going on.  He’d been hugged by a complete stranger who called him ‘little brother’, which he might have been shorter by a few inches but _little?_

“Why did Mister Ford and Miss Devereaux go through all that effort for a sword?”  Watanabe said slowly.

“That’s Nate man,” Eliot replied, “if he thinks something’s worth doing he’d go through hell to get it done.  I do appreciate that you helped him get it.  The sword is amazing; I’ve never owned one like it.  It even saved my life a few months back.”

“You _used it?”_   Watanabe asked, looking stunned.

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” Eliot said defensively, “hitters like me?  We make enemies with a lot of dangerous people.  When someone breaks into my home looking to put me down, I defend myself.  The fact that I used a 16th century sword to save my life doesn’t really bother me.  I mean, I did put it in a safe location afterwards so that it wouldn’t happen, but in the moment of the fight, it saved my life.”

Watanabe smiled, “I see why it was appropriate then.  My father will be relieved to know that it was a good choice.”

“Where did you get a sword like that anyways?”  Eliot asked.

“My mother,” Watanabe replied, his smile a little sadder.  “Her family comes from a long line of Samurai, and she had quite a collection.”

“A family heirloom,” Eliot said, feeling stunned.

“That one wasn’t,” Watanabe said, “She bought it herself.  Her note on it said that it was in a pawnshop alongside a bunch of fake Rolexes and plated gold jewelry.  It was the most expensive thing in the shop and she got it for a hundred bucks.  She’d be happy that it went to someone who would appreciate the history of it.”

“I appreciate that you would give it to me,” Eliot said.

“Dude, quit hogging him,” Taylor shouted.

Watanabe closed his eyes for a moment, “It’s moments like this that I’m glad that I’m not one of his.”  He stepped back and tilted his head, “You might want to pay attention to this part, it’s a bit important.”

“Now,” Taylor said, “I’m sure you’re wondering how a single phone call to an old coworker lead to this little shindig.  Well, you all know that Will here is a black ranger.  Whom else should he call for help but another power ranger?  That would be Adam Park.  Adam was my chosen replacement before he was stolen away by the greenies.  Which is lucky for you, Mister Ford, because Cam here _is_ a greenie.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Cam said.

“I didn’t say that,” Taylor said, “I just want you people to not steal my best and brightest.”

“We gave you the Doc,” Cam replied.

Taylor laughed, “That one’s just waiting around for another color and you know it.  If he belongs to anybody, it _has_ to be the greenies, because he was the first!”

“Have you been drinking?”  Will asked, staring at Taylor.

“Nope,” Taylor replied cheerfully, “I’m natural and unmedicated.  Anyways, when Mister Ford here called to tell Will about Eliot Spencer, Will heard a perfect candidate for a black ranger.  He did some digging of questionable legality and he realized it was true.  So he used that to get Adam and Cam to help him because of an unpayable debt between Will and Nate.  Well, I heard about it and that they were going to meet this candidate for a morpher and I decided to tag along.  You see, I’m not just a black ranger, I am _the_ Black Ranger.  I am the man Zordon of Eltare _himself_ picked the day Rita Repulsa was freed to fight her.  And I agree with Will’s instinct.  Eliot is a ranger looking for a morpher and that makes him one of mine.”  He pointed at Nate, “I wasn’t joking either, Mister Ford.  If you need anything from the CIA, just let me know.  What you guys are doing is a lot more important that spending six weeks serving fast food just to get a dumbass with a fancy computer chip to ignore me when he sells the chip.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”  Will asked.

“I’m a Power Ranger,” Taylor replied, “part of what we do is develop and promote resources to help our planet remain independent and to stall and even halt the advancement of possible villains.  Leverage Inc does that but halting the development of CEOs who are clearly falling into the trap of power and greed before they get their hands on dark power.”

“Shame they weren’t in business back in 05,” Adam said.  “Mesogog.”

“Yeah but his alter was a good man.  Just careless about human testing without FDA approval.”  Taylor said.

“Wait a minute,” Eliot snapped, “You think I’m a power ranger?”

“You could be,” Taylor said.  “Frankly, given your record with the government, if things go south I’d put a morpher in your hands just because you know how to kill.  For right now, all that means is that we can help if you need it.  Both for information and for law trouble.”

“You saw my file?”  Eliot said.

“I saw the real file,” Taylor said.  “I showed it to my Red.  We find you to be a valuable asset to this planet.”

“Is that a recruiting speech?”  Eliot asked.

“Fuck Uncle Sam,” Taylor said.  “This ain’t recruitment man.  I’m just saying, you, or any children you have, have the potential to be a Power Ranger.  One day we might ask you to take a morpher, but that would only be because we had no other choice and we need Dark Rangers to protect Earth and man, I hope that day never comes.”

Eliot didn’t know what to say to that.  This man-child who switched moods like Eliot switched knives in the kitchen, a Power Ranger, admired him.  He wanted Eliot to keep an open mind towards being a Ranger if the world needed him.  He’d never heard of the Rangers being particularly tied into the government.  “You and I both,” Eliot said.  “But for what it’s worth, if you need me, I’ll be there.”

“Then let’s have a party,” Taylor said.  “Cam, have you ever been to one of my shindigs?”


End file.
